How to tailor your CV to a job description (with a worked example)

Tailoring is the single biggest difference between a CV that gets read and one that gets filed. It doesn't mean rewriting everything for every application - it means making the most relevant parts impossible to miss. Here's a simple way to do it.

Start with the advert, not your CV

Read the job advert and underline the things it repeats or lists first - the responsibilities, skills and tools that clearly matter most. Those are your priorities. If three different lines mention stakeholder management, that's a signal, not a coincidence.

Mirror the language, honestly

If the advert says "stakeholder management" and your CV says "liaising with people", a quick scan - human or software - may miss the match. Use the employer's terms where they genuinely describe what you did. Never claim a skill you don't have; reframe, don't invent.

Lead with the evidence that fits

Move your most relevant achievements to the top of each role and the top of page one. The reader decides in seconds whether you're worth a closer look, so don't make them dig.

A worked example

Suppose the role wants process improvement and team leadership. A generic bullet - "Managed a team and improved processes" - becomes: "Led a team of 8 and redesigned the returns process, cutting handling time by 30%." Same truth, far more relevant.

Keep a master version

Tailoring is much faster when you keep one complete master CV and cut down from it for each application, rather than starting from a blank page every time.

Not sure which parts of your CV to push forward for a specific role? Our CV review will tell you. Book a free CV review.